Advice To Make Your Home Safe For Someone With Alzheimer’s

Matthew

If you are getting ready to take on the role of caring for a loved one who is suffering from Alzheimer’s, there are a number of steps you should consider to ensure your home is a safe environment for them.

Channel3000 has offered some advice on what to prioritise and how to decide where to start with these changes.

The first thing to do is assess your home safety based on your loved one’s needs and condition. You need to think about whether they can still manage stairs, if they have fallen over recently, and how good their sight is, for instance.

Bathrooms are a good place to start, and there are a number of simple modifications that can make both of your lives easier.

Making sure your floor is non-slip, as well as the shower tray or bath, is also essential to help reduce the risk of falls. Another tip is to ensure your water temperature isn’t too hot. Fitting thermostatic anti-scald valves or taps will limit the temperature of the hot water to a maximum of 48 degrees at the outlet.

You may also want to consider fitting childproof latches on cupboards where you store medication or cleaning products. The same goes for the kitchen, with the publication noting that it’s advisable to lock up potentially dangerous items like knives, matches and scissors, as well as cleaning chemicals.

Fitting safety knobs on the stove to prevent your loved one from accidentally turning it on is another sensible step to take.

Given that 520,000 people in the UK currently suffer from Alzheimer’s disease, according to figures from the Alzheimer’s Society, this advice could be useful for many people.